IT'S beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in Crewe town centre after a stunning lights show has taken centre stage for the next fortnight.

Lumen Lite, a self-guided illuminated arts trail, powered on last night (Friday) along with the traditional town centre lights as the town's festive programme got underway.

The celebration of art, light, music and projection, which includes giant metal tripods, light boxes, a towering spaceman and a replica Dr. Who TARDIS, is the work of the team behind Blackpool's Lightpool Festival at the resort's famous Illuminations.

Crewe Town Council commissioned festival director Phil Holmes to fashion a trail around the town centre with some of the installations featuring in Blackpool last month.

They included Aqualux, an 8m by 3m lighting installation made of 48 water containers sited in Lyceum Square. The eco-friendly light feature was created to highlight the importance of water and why we should use it sparingly.

A giant spaceman, representing the moon landing, is standing guard at the entrance to Christ Church, where there are also light shows, including the kaleidoscopic installation, Exponential.

The moon theme continues at the Municipal Buildings whose buildings are the screen for a sequence of shadow puppetry titled Moon Folk and the Light (see above video clip).

There are also exhibits in Crewe Market Hall, including 'And then I slipped', an illuminated waterfall, while the hall's resident artist David Jewkes is showing off an intricately engineered carousel light installation.

Winning entries in a photography competition feature in a 'We Love Crewe' light box display on Victoria Street.

While taking pride of place in front of the magistrates' courts at the Civic Centre is Chorus, a stunning installation made up tripods supporting spinning arms of whirling lights.

You can see more pictures from Lumen Lite in the gallery above. The lights trail switches on from 5 to 9pm and runs until Sunday, December 12.

As well as the light shows there will be street performers, live music and craft activities as part of Crewe Christmas Saturdays (midday and 4pm) the first of which took place today (November 27).

You can download a Lumen Lite trail map here.